Tender Mercies

It's that wonderful time of year again.....the time that I look forward to all year long. Track break! 4 weeks of paid time off. This, my friends, is what makes teaching the best job ever. Even though it can suck at times, the schedule is great! Who else works for 3 months then gets 1 month off? So what am I going to do over the break?

1. Go to classes at UNR. (and finish my ethnographic research project.)
2. Refinish some furniture for my guest room.
3. Make curtains and pillows for my bedroom.
4. Visit all of my new mommy friends and their little ones.
5. Catch up on sleep.
6. Thanksgiving with family and friends
7. Catch up on all of those books I have been wanting to read. (already on hold at the library.)

So, as you can see, I plan to be very busy in the next month. I am so excited. I don't think I could have taught one more day without having this break.

Salmonella

So, totally unlike me, I had a Banquet pot pie for dinner the other night. Not usually something I would eat, but it actually sounded good at the moment. Fast forward to the next morning. Not feeling so hot. Stomach cramps, nausea, fever, the whole nine yards. So, I turn on the news just in time to hear that a salmonella outbreak has been found in Banquet pot pies. Not sure if there is a correlation here or not, so I decide to go check the code on the box to see if it matched the infected pies. Sure enough! I don't think I actually had salmonella, I wasn't feeling that bad, but I felt awful still. I will spare you all of the gory details. Lesson learned: stay away fom pre-made, preservitive laden, nasty, cheap meals. Don't worry, I am fine now.

Tagged: My Husband

What's his name? Jamin
How long have you been together? Married for 2.25 years
How long did you date? 11 months
How old is he? 26
Who eats more? It depends on what we are eating
Who said I love you first? He did.
Who is taller? Jamin
Who sings better? We are both awful! :)
Who is smarter? It depends on the subject.
Whose temper is worse? Mine. Unless we're stuck in traffic - his.
Who does the laundry? Me
Who does the dishes? Me, most of the time.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jamin
Who pays the bills? What bills? j/k I keep track of them.
Who mows the lawn? Wolf Pack Lawn Service
Who cooks dinner? Usually me, but Jamin can make some mean Mac and Cheese.
Who drives when you are together? Always Jamin. I prefer to be chauffeured around.
Who is more stubborn? Tie.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Always Jamin.
Whose parents do you see the most? Mine.
Who kissed who first? Jamin kissed me.
Who asked who out? Officially, Jamin but I couldn't have opened the door any wider
Who proposed? Jamin
Who is more sensitive? Me, Jamin doesn't take things very personally.
Who has more friends? Jamin, he is much more outgoing than me.
Who wears the pants in the family? We both have one leg in and feel pretty good about it.

Consider yourself tagged now!

Me; Organized

So, as a working woman, I rarely feel the need to cook dinner despite the fact that I am completley ravenous by the time I get home. My solution is to make a weekly menu and then freeze meals ahead of time. I have lots of rubbermaid baking dishes with lids, so I assemble all the ingredients together, tape the recipe to the top, and freeze! Since it is just the two of us, I often split recipes in half by making the casserole's in 8 x 8 in. pans instead of 9 x 13. This way, I have two meals with no leftovers! This is working so well for me, I love it, and I actually feel organized when I do it. I am going to post one of my favorite recipes for your review.....

Macaroni Grill's Penne Pasta

Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8x8 and two 9x13 casserole dishes